Posted: Mon, Aug 4, 2003, 11:51 AM ET (1551 GMT)
NASA is developing a long boom that will be used on future shuttle missions to look for any damage to the orbiter, the Orlando Sentinel reported Monday. A 17.7-meter boom, equipped with cameras, will be flown on all future shuttle missions, according to NASA documents obtained by the Sentinel. Future shuttle missions will maneuver the boom with the shuttle's robot arm to inspect the leading edge of the wings as well as other regions of the shuttle that cannot be directly observed by the crew and are not within the reach of the arm alone. The seven-hour survey will take place the day after launch and will require two crew members. The boom can also be used by spacewalkers to reach areas of the shuttle should repairs be required. The boom will cost $1.3 million to develop, although another $5 million may be required to develop a storage location for the boom in the cargo bay and relocate a communications antenna.

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